We had the most gorgeous day recently!

The sun was shining, and the hills were dusted with snow. Glorious! Naturally, I went for a walk.

Standing there, looking at those craggy hills we have here in the Peak District, which I’ve stared at so many times before, a thought occurred to me:

In nature, lumps and bumps are the norm.

It is easy for us in our homes and offices, surrounded by plastic, glass, and metal to think that smooth is the norm.

But smoothness isn’t the norm in the wider world.

That hill above, rendered completely smooth, would read as artificial to us – rightly so. I’ve always most enjoyed the craggiest of hills … I think it gives them character.

And yet, in life and in business, our culture has this narrative that smoothness is desirable, and bumpiness is problematic.

This extends past objects to our path through life, and even our bodies.

And yet, if your path were completely smooth, it would be unnatural. It would lack character. It would not help you grow and develop as a soul and as a businessperson.

So today, pause for a moment, and be thankful for your lumps and bumps. They make you your unique self. They help you find your people. They help you evolve.

Links & Inspiration

I found some real gems in the first 35 minutes of this episode of the eCommerce Fuel podcast with the guest Dimitri Vorona, who is a serial entrepreneur, especially around how he uses data to look for new opportunities (point 2 below).

Highlights are:

1. He finds best ROI on his time in his ecommerce endeavours through bringing in new products, rather than refining old ones (13:25)
2. Discussion on what data he and his team analyse to find opportunities in new Amazon listings to create (21:16)
3. Humour drives conversions (31:46)

I love this study by Northeastern University in the US that found, counter-intuitively, that supermarkets that donate perishable food approaching its expiration make more profit than ones that sell it at a discount or discard it. (GoodGoodGood.co)

Even if you’re not selling perishable food, this short article gives plenty of food for thought on your own practices.

Part of the profit bump comes from having more shelf space for fresher produce, sold at a higher price, and improving the store’s reputation.

Are you devoting energy, brain space, and resources to continuing to offer services or products that no longer really suit your business or your current target market?

Could that actually be diluting your brand?

Robert Glazer wrote brilliantly recently on Substack about building safe spaces for your team.

Psychological safety allows your team to excel. If you’re not sure whether you really have created that culture in your team, or how to do so, this short piece is worth a read.

There are no affiliate links in this or any of my emails or blog posts. I simply enjoy sharing resources that could help move your business forward.

Using your numbers to help make your business better

Do you wish you understood how to use your data to make decisions more confidently?

That's what I'm here to help with.